Steam generator

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to steam generation equipments, and more particularly, to a steam generator. The steam generator includes a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device. The steam generator further includes a second sealed container disposed in the first chamber. The heating device is disposed in the second container, and a kind of low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall of the second container. As compared to the prior art, the heating device of the present invention make no direct contact with water, so it is less liable to damage and safe in use.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to steam generation equipments, and moreparticularly, to a steam generator that is less liable to damage andsafe in use.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

As a kind of equipment that utilizes thermal energy to vaporize waterinto steam, steam generators are generally equipped with a heatingdevice for heating water. In the prior arts, all the heating devices inthe steam generators make direct contact with water so that the water isvaporized into steam as the temperature of the heating devicesincreases. In this technology, because the heating devices areconstantly in contact with the water, they are liable to damage andunsafe in use.

SUMMARY

The objective of the present invention is to provide a steam generator,which can solve the problems of steam generators in the prior arts thatthey are liable to damage and unsafe in use.

The objective of the present invention is achieved in the following way.

A steam generator includes a first container having a first chamber, anda heating device, wherein the steam generator further comprises a secondcontainer disposed in the first chamber and sealed, the heating deviceis disposed in the second container, and a kind of low-melting-point(LMP) metal is filled between the heating device and an inner wall ofthe second container.

Further, the heating device is a heating pipe, and the heating pipe hasan end adapted to connect to an external power supply and extending outof the first container.

Further, the first container comprises a hollow enclosure and a baseplate that is used to seal a lower end of the enclosure, and the baseplate is detachably attached to the lower end of the enclosure.

Further, the steam generator includes a valve communicating with thefirst chamber and disposed at an upper end of the first container.

Further, a first through-hole communicating with the first chamber isdefined in an upper end of the enclosure, and the valve is disposed inthe first through-hole.

Further, the base plate is formed to have a water inlet for injectingwater into the first chamber.

Further, the second container is sealedly attached to an inner surfaceof the base plate.

Further, the base plate is formed to have an annular protrusion on theinner surface thereof which abuts against an inner surface of the secondcontainer.

As compared to the prior art, the heating device of the presentinvention make no direct contact with water, so it is less liable todamage and safe in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steam generator inaccording with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of thepresent invention more apparent, the present invention will now befurther described in detail with reference to the attached drawing andembodiment thereof. It shall be understood that, the embodimentdescribed herein is only provided to illustrate but not the limit thepresent invention.

The present invention provides a steam generator. The steam generatorincludes a first container having a first chamber, and a heating device.The steam generator further includes a second container disposed in thefirst chamber and sealed. The heating device is disposed in the secondcontainer, and a low-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between theheating device and an inner wall of the second container.

In the present invention, the heating device can liquefy thelow-melting-point (LMP) metal by heating the LMP metal so that heat canbe conducted to the second container to vaporize the water in the firstcontainer. Because, throughout this process, the heating device makes nodirect contact with the water, the heating device is less liable todamage and safe in use.

Herein below, a detailed description will be made on implementation ofthe present invention with reference to embodiment thereof.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the steam generator 1 includes a first container 11and a heating pipe 13 arranged in the first container 11. The firstcontainer has a first chamber 111 therein, in which water can be filled.The heating pipe 13 is adapted to heat the first container 11 tovaporize the water in the first container 11 into steam. An end of theheating pipe 13 extends out of the first container 11 and can bedirectly connected to an external power supply for heating.

To avoid direct contact of the heating pipe 13 with the water in thefirst container 11, a second container 12 that is sealed is provided inthe first container 11. Thus, the interior of the second container 12 isprevented from making contact with the water in the first container 11.The second container 12 has a second chamber 131 therein, in which theheating pipe 13 is arranged; that is, the heating pipe 13 is arranged ata middle portion of the steam generator 1 and located at an innermostposition in the steam generator 1. Further, a kind of LMP metal isdisposed in the second chamber 131 of the second container 12. Here, theLMP metal is tin (Sn) 14, which is filled in a space between the heatingpipe 13 and an inner wall of the second container 12 and also surroundsthe heating pipe 13. In this way, as the temperature of the heating pipe13 increases, the tin 14 which has a low melting point will be molteninto liquid-phase tin. Furthermore, during the process of melting, thetin 14 transformed from a solid state to a liquid state, a great amountof heat is absorbed by the tin 14 to drive the temperature of the wholesecond container 12 to increase, thus vaporizing the water in the firstcontainer 11 into steam very quickly. In this embodiment, during theprocess of vaporizing the water in the first container 11 into steam,the heating pipe 13 makes no contact with the water throughout theprocess. Instead, it is through liquefaction of the tin 14 that thetemperature of the second container 12 is increased. Because the secondcontainer 12 is disposed in the first container 11 with an outer surfaceof the second container 12 being in direct contact with the water, thewater can be heated until it is vaporized into steam. In this way, theproblems that the steam generator 1 is liable to damage and unsafe inuse are solved.

In the present invention, other heating devices may also be disposed inthe second container 12 as long as they can liquefy the tin 14 in thesecond container through heating. Therefore, the heating device is notmerely limited to the heating pipe 13 described in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the filler inside the second container 12 is tin 14.Of course, other metal having a low melting point such as tin alloys mayalso be used. Tin has a melting point of about 231.9° C., and here theLMP metal refer to metal having a melting point lower than 231.9° C.

In this embodiment, both the first container 11 and the second container12 make direct contact with the water, and the second container 12 alsohas the heat conduction function. Hence, to prevent damage of the firstcontainer 11 and the second container 12 due to contact with water for along time period, the first container 11 and the second container 12 aremade of a stainless steel material.

To facilitate disassembly and assembly of the first container 11, thefirst container 11 includes an enclosure 112 and a base plate 113. Theenclosure 112 is hollow, and when the enclosure 112 and the base plate113 are assembled together, the hollow portion of the enclosure 112forms the first chamber 111 of the first container 11. The enclosure 112defines a first through-hole at an upper end thereof, which communicateswith the first chamber 111. The base plate 113 is disposed at a lowerend of the enclosure 112 to thereby seal the lower end of the enclosure112. The base plate 113 and the enclosure 112 are detachably connectedtogether for convenience of subsequent maintenance and replacement.

Specifically, the base plate 113 is placed at the bottom of theenclosure 112 and then connected together with the enclosure 112 bybolts.

In this embodiment, the steam generator 1 further includes a valve 15that can communicate with the first chamber 111 of the first container11. The valve 15 is disposed in the first through-hole at the upper endof the enclosure 112 so that the steam generated inside the firstcontainer 11 can be spurted out. A water inlet is formed in the baseplate 113 to allow the user to inject water into the first container 11(i.e., into the first chamber 111) through the water inlet.

In this embodiment, the second container 12 is sealedly attached to thebase plate 113, and the base plate 113 seals the lower end of the secondcontainer 12 to prevent entry of water from the first container 11 intothe second container 12.

Specifically, the base plate 113 has an annular protrusion formed on aninner surface thereof, and the lower end of the second container 12 isdirectly disposed around the annular protrusion with an inner surface ofthe second container 12 abutting against the annular protrusion, therebysealing the lower end of the second container 12.

What described above are only preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, but are not to limit scope of the present invention. Rather,all modifications, equivalent replacements and alterations made withinthe spirits of the present invention shall still fall within the scopeof the present invention.

1. A steam generator, comprising: a first container having a firstchamber, and a heating device, wherein the steam generator furthercomprises a second container disposed in the first chamber and sealed,the heating device is disposed in the second container, and a kind oflow-melting-point (LMP) metal is filled between the heating device andan inner wall of the second container.
 2. The steam generator of claim1, wherein the heating device is a heating pipe, and the heating pipehas an end adapted to connect to an external power supply and extendingout of the first container.
 3. The steam generator of claim 1, whereinthe first container comprises a hollow enclosure and a base plate thatis used to seal a lower end of the enclosure, and the base plate isdetachably attached to the lower end of the enclosure.
 4. The steamgenerator of claim 3, further comprising a valve communicating with thefirst chamber and disposed at an upper end of the first container. 5.The steam generator of claim 4, wherein a first through-holecommunicating with the first chamber, is defined in an upper end of theenclosure, and the valve is disposed in the first through-hole.
 6. Thesteam generator of claim 3, wherein the base plate is formed to have awater inlet for injecting water into the first chamber.
 7. The steamgenerator of claim 3, wherein the second container is sealedly attachedto an inner surface of the base plate.
 8. The steam generator of claim7, wherein the base plate is formed to have an annular protrusion on theinner surface thereof which abuts against an inner surface of the secondcontainer.